Jesus has no criticism for the church in Smyrna. He says they have suffered and live in poverty… but they’re rich. This is yet another of the paradoxes presented in Revelation. The church that everyone thinks is alive is actually dead. The church that seems weak is strong. This church, with its difficult life and lack of material goods, is actually rich.

In Letters From The Lamb I wrote:

The Smyrnaean Christians were poor materially, but they were rich in the ways that mattered. It’s even possible that the poverty of the Smyrna church stemmed from the persecution they had received. The writer of the book of Hebrews speaks to this: “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” (Hebrews 10:32-34) Either through mob violence and looting or official seizures of property, it was quite possible that the Christians had become poor by standing up for their faith.

(Letters From The Lamb, p. 68)

“Blessed are you poor,” Jesus said during his ministry. Later James would write that God had chosen the poor to be rich in faith. Apparently the Christians in Smyrna were a good example of that.